Systems, methods, and devices for playing wagering games with unlockable community game features

ABSTRACT

Gaming devices, gaming systems, methods of conducting a wagering game, and computer programs for executing a wagering game are presented herein. A gaming system is presented that includes at least one input device, at least one display, at least one processor, and at least one memory device. The memory device stores instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to operate with the display and the input device to conduct a wagering game including a plurality of unlockable features. The unlockable features are initially inaccessible to players at first and second gaming terminals. In response to an unlocking event achieved by a first player during play of the game, the processor unlocks at least one of the unlockable features such that both the first player at the first gaming terminal and a second player at the second gaming terminal can access the unlocked feature.

COPYRIGHT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialswhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patentdisclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patentfiles or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rightswhatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present disclosure relates generally to wagering games, as well assystems and devices for playing wagering games. More particularly, thepresent disclosure relates to systems, methods, and devices for playinga community wagering game by multiple players.

BACKGROUND

Gaming machines, such as slot machines, video poker machines and thelike, have been a cornerstone of the gaming industry for several years.Generally, the popularity of such machines with players is dependent onthe likelihood (or perceived likelihood) of winning money at the machineand the intrinsic entertainment value of the machine relative to otheravailable gaming options. Where the available gaming options include anumber of competing machines and the expectation of winning at eachmachine is roughly the same (or believed to be the same), players arelikely to be attracted to the most entertaining and exciting machines.Shrewd operators strive to employ the most entertaining and excitingmachines, features, and enhancements available because such machinesattract frequent play and hence increase profitability to the operator.

One concept that has been successfully employed to enhance theentertainment value of a game is that of a “secondary” or “bonus” gamewhich may be played in conjunction with a “basic” game. The bonus game,which is typically entered upon the occurrence of a selected event oroutcome of the basic game, may comprise any type of game, either similarto or completely different from the basic game. Such a bonus gameproduces a significantly higher level of player excitement than thebasic game because it provides a greater expectation of winning than thebasic game.

Another concept that has been employed to enhance player entertainmentand achieve player loyalty is the use of progressive games. In thegaming industry, a “progressive” game involves collecting coin-in datafrom participating gaming device(s) (e.g., slot machines), contributinga percentage of that coin-in data to a progressive jackpot amount, andawarding that jackpot amount to a player upon the occurrence of acertain jackpot-won event. A jackpot-won event typically occurs when a“progressive winning position” is achieved at a participating gamingdevice. If the gaming device is a slot machine, a progressive winningposition may, for example, correspond to alignment of progressivejackpot reel symbols along an active payline. Typically, the initialprogressive jackpot is set at a predetermined minimum amount. Thatjackpot amount, however, progressively increases as players continue toplay the gaming machine without winning the jackpot. When theprogressive jackpot is awarded, the jackpot amount is generally reset tothe predetermined minimum amount.

Gaming machines take on various configurations, such as those thatoperate as “stand-alone” units, which may or may not be coupled to abackroom computer, where the outcome of game play is “locallydetermined.” Gaming machines may also be configured as part of aserver-based gaming network where the outcome of game play may be eitherlocally determined or “centrally determined.” For example, gamingmachines that are located in an airport, a convenience store, or ariverboat typically operate as stand-alone units, whereas many gamingmachines that are located in modern-day casinos operate as part of aserver-based gaming network.

Server-based gaming networks typically include a number of gamingterminals that are communicatively coupled to one or more server(s) viaa dedicated (i.e., non-public) communication network. Because of theirversatility, server-based gaming networks enable an operator to augmentthe traditional “basic” game play with enhancements such as progressivegames, community bonus games, tournaments, etc. Server-based gamingnetwork configurations also enable access to all types of gamingterminal data, including performance data, player tracking data,accounting data, security data, and maintenance data, to name a few.

In cases where a gaming proprietor owns multiple casinos distributedover a large geographical area, individual casinos may be linkedtogether via a large dedicated communication network. In addition, oneor more servers in an individual casino may be communicatively coupledvia the dedicated communication network to one or more remote databaseservers, thereby enabling the gaming proprietor to gather gaming dataand operate and maintain the gaming network at one convenient location.

Some wagering game configurations involve engaging multiple players toenter a shared or “community” wagering game, wherein multiple linkedgaming machines play a shared basic or bonus game. Features of thecommunity wagering game, such as sound and graphics related to playingthe community game, can be displayed to players on a sign or displayarea common to the linked gaming machines. For example, a bank of slotmachines playing a community progressive game can be coordinated via aprogressive slot controller or server, and information related to theprogressive jackpot value(s) and jackpot sounds can be presented via thecommon sign or display peripheral device. In a more sophisticatedexample, a number of wagering game machines sharing a common theme, suchas a Monopoly™-themed slot game, are coupled to a community game serverthat coordinates participation in a community game, such as accumulationof lottery numbers or progression of game pieces around a Monopoly™board and awarding of bonuses.

As interest and demand for community wagering games increase, there isalso a continuing need to develop new features that enhance theentertainment value and gaming experience for these community games.

SUMMARY

According to aspects of the present disclosure, a gaming system forconducting a community wagering game is featured. The gaming systemincludes a plurality of gaming terminals with at least first and secondgaming terminals. The first and second gaming terminals each have adisplay for displaying an outcome of a wagering game. The wagering gameoutcome is randomly determined from a plurality of outcomes. Acontroller is operatively connected to the plurality of gaming terminalssuch that players at each of the gaming terminals can play the communitygame. The community game includes a plurality of unlockable features,which are initially inaccessible to the players at the gaming terminals.The controller is operable to: initiate an unlocking-game feature inresponse to a triggering event, successful completion of theunlocking-game feature unlocking at least one of the unlockablefeatures; and, in response to determining that the unlocking-gamefeature is successfully completed by a first player at the first gamingterminal, unlock at least one of the unlockable features such that boththe first player at the first gaming terminal and a second player at thesecond gaming terminal can access the unlocked feature.

According to other aspects of the present disclosure, a method ofconducting a wagering game on a gaming system is featured. The gamingsystem includes at least two gaming terminals, which are operable suchthat players at the gaming terminals can play a community game. Thewagering game includes a game sequence in which a wagering game outcomeis randomly determined from a plurality of wagering game outcomes. Themethod comprises: in response to a triggering event, initiating via atleast one controller an unlocking-game feature, successful completion ofthe unlocking-game feature unlocking at least one of a plurality ofunlockable features associated with the community game, the plurality ofunlockable features being initially inaccessible to players at thegaming terminals; and, in response to a first player at a first gamingterminal successfully completing the unlocking-game feature, unlockingat least one of the unlockable features such that both the first playerat the first gaming terminal and a second player at the second gamingterminal can access the at least one unlocked feature.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a gaming systemis presented. The gaming system includes at least one input device, atleast one display device, at least one processor, and at least onememory device. The at least one memory device stores a plurality ofinstructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, causethe at least one processor to operate with the at least one displaydevice and the least one input device to: conduct a wagering gameincluding a plurality of unlockable features, the plurality ofunlockable features being initially inaccessible to first and secondplayers at respective first and second gaming terminals; and, inresponse to an unlocking event achieved by the first player during playof the game, unlock at least one of the unlockable features such thatthe first and second players can access the unlocked feature.

According to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, acomputer-implemented method of conducting a wagering game is disclosed.The method includes: receiving, via at least one input device, a wagerto play a wagering game, the wagering game including a plurality ofunlockable features, the plurality of unlockable features beinginitially inaccessible to first and second players at respective firstand second gaming terminals; displaying the game on at least one displaydevice; conducting, via at least one processor, the wagering game; and,in response to an unlocking event achieved by the first player duringplay of the game, unlocking at least one of the unlockable features suchthat the first and second players can access the unlocked feature.

According to even yet another aspect of the present disclosure, one ormore non-transient computer readable storage media are encoded withinstructions for directing a gaming device or a gaming system to performany of the methods disclosed herein.

The above summary is not intended to represent each embodiment or everyaspect of the present disclosure. Rather, the summary merely provides anexemplification of some of the novel features presented herein. Theabove features and advantages, and other features and advantages of thepresent disclosure, will be readily apparent from the following detaileddescription of exemplary embodiments and best modes for carrying out thepresent invention when taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings and the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective-view illustration of an exemplary free-standinggaming terminal according to aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary gaming system according toembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a screen shot of a basic-game screen from an exemplarywagering game that can be played, for example, on the gaming terminal ofFIG. 1 or the gaming system of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a screen shot of a bonus-game screen from an exemplarywagering game that can be played, for example, on the gaming terminal ofFIG. 1 or the gaming system of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a perspective-view illustration of a representative gamingsystem for playing an exemplary community wagering game in accordancewith aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a screen shot of a basic-game screen from an exemplarywagering game that can be played on each of the gaming terminals in therepresentative gaming system of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a screen shot depicting an embodiment of the exemplarycommunity wagering game of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 is a screen shot of various exemplary unlockable features fromthe exemplary community wagering game of FIG. 5.

FIG. 9 is a screen shot of an exemplary unlocking-game feature employedin some embodiments to unlock the unlockable features of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a screen shot depicting an embodiment of the exemplaryunlocking-game feature of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is another screen shot depicting an embodiment of the exemplaryunlocking-game feature of FIG. 9.

FIG. 12 is another screen shot depicting an embodiment of the exemplaryunlocking-game feature of FIG. 9.

FIG. 13 is a flowchart for an exemplary algorithm that corresponds toinstructions that can be executed by a controller in accord with atleast some aspects of the disclosed concepts.

While the aspects of this disclosure are susceptible to variousmodifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments have beenshown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detailherein. It should be understood, however, that the invention is notintended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, theinvention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternativesfalling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many differentforms, there are shown in the drawings and will herein be described indetail representative embodiments with the understanding that thepresent disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of thevarious aspects and principles of the invention, and is not intended tolimit the broad aspect of the invention to the embodiments illustrated.To that extent, elements and limitations that are disclosed, forexample, in the Abstract, Summary, and Detailed Description of theEmbodiments sections, but not explicitly set forth in the claims, shouldnot be incorporated into the claims, singly or collectively, byimplication, inference or otherwise.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a gaming terminal 10 similar tothose used in gaming establishments, such as casinos. With regard to thepresent disclosure, the gaming terminal 10 may be any type of gamingterminal and may have varying structures and methods of operation. Forexample, in some aspects, the gaming terminal 10 is be anelectromechanical gaming terminal configured to play mechanical slots,whereas in other aspects, the gaming terminal is an electronic gamingterminal configured to play a video casino game, such as slots, keno,poker, blackjack, roulette, craps, etc. It should be understood thatalthough the gaming terminal 10 is shown as a free-standing terminal ofthe upright type, the gaming terminal is readily amenable toimplementation in a wide variety of other forms such as a free-standingterminal of the slant-top type, a portable or handheld device primarilyused for gaming, such as is disclosed by way of example in PCT PatentApplication No. PCT/US2007/000792 filed Jan. 11, 2007, titled “HandheldDevice for Wagering Games,” which is incorporated herein by reference inits entirety, a mobile telecommunications device such as a mobiletelephone or personal digital assistant (PDA), a counter-top or bar-topgaming terminal, or other personal electronic device, such as a portabletelevision, MP3 player, entertainment device, etcetera.

The gaming terminal 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 comprises a cabinet orhousing 12. For output devices, this embodiment of the gaming terminal10 includes a primary display area 14, a secondary display area 16, andone or more audio speakers 18. The primary display area 14 and/orsecondary display area 16 variously displays information associated withwagering games, non-wagering games, community games, progressives,advertisements, services, premium entertainment, text messaging, emails,alerts or announcements, broadcast information, subscriptioninformation, etc. appropriate to the particular mode(s) of operation ofthe gaming terminal. For input devices, the gaming terminal 10illustrated in FIG. 1 includes a bill validator 20, a coin acceptor 22,one or more information readers 24, one or more player-input devices 26,and one or more player-accessible ports 28 (e.g., an audio output jackfor headphones, a video headset jack, a wireless transmitter/receiver,etc.). While these typical components found in the gaming terminal 10are described below, it should be understood that numerous otherperipheral devices and other elements exist and are readily utilizablein any number of combinations to create various forms of a gamingterminal in accord with the present concepts.

The primary display area 14 include, in various aspects of the presentconcepts, a mechanical-reel display, a video display, or a combinationthereof in which a transmissive video display is disposed in front ofthe mechanical-reel display to portray a video image in superpositionover the mechanical-reel display. Further information concerning thelatter construction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,517,433 to Loose etal. entitled “Reel Spinning Slot Machine With Superimposed Video Image,”which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The videodisplay is, in various embodiments, a cathode ray tube (CRT), ahigh-resolution liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display, a lightemitting diode (LED), a DLP projection display, an electroluminescent(EL) panel, or any other type of display suitable for use in the gamingterminal 10, or other form factor, such as is shown by way of example inFIG. 1. The primary display area 14 includes, in relation to manyaspects of wagering games conducted on the gaming terminal 10, one ormore paylines 30 (see FIG. 3) extending along a portion of the primarydisplay area. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1, the primarydisplay area 14 comprises a plurality of mechanical reels 32 and a videodisplay 34, such as a transmissive display (or a reflected imagearrangement in other embodiments), in front of the mechanical reels 32.If the wagering game conducted via the gaming terminal 10 relies uponthe video display 34 only and not the mechanical reels 32, themechanical reels 32 are optionally removed from the interior of theterminal and the video display 34 is advantageously of anon-transmissive type. Similarly, if the wagering game conducted via thegaming terminal 10 relies only upon the mechanical reels 32, but not thevideo display 34, the video display 34 depicted in FIG. 1 is replacedwith a conventional glass panel. Further, in still other embodiments,the video display 34 is disposed to overlay another video display,rather than a mechanical-reel display, such that the primary displayarea 14 includes layered or superimposed video displays. In yet otherembodiments, the mechanical-reel display of the above-noted embodimentsis replaced with another mechanical or physical member or members suchas, but not limited to, a mechanical wheel (e.g., a roulette game),dice, a pachinko board, or a diorama presenting a three-dimensionalmodel of a game environment.

Video images in the primary display area 14 and/or the secondary displayarea 16 are rendered in two-dimensional (e.g., using Flash Macromedia™)or three-dimensional graphics (e.g., using Renderware™). In variousaspects, the video images are played back (e.g., from a recording storedon the gaming terminal 10), streamed (e.g., from a gaming network), orreceived as a TV signal (e.g., either broadcast or via cable) and suchimages can take different forms, such as animated images,computer-generated images, or “real-life” images, either prerecorded(e.g., in the case of marketing/promotional material) or as livefootage. The format of the video images can include any formatincluding, but not limited to, an analog format, a standard digitalformat, or a high-definition (HD) digital format.

The player-input or user-input device(s) 26 include, by way of example,a plurality of buttons 36 on a button panel, as shown in FIG. 1, amouse, a joy stick, a switch, a microphone, and/or a touch screen 38mounted over the primary display area 14 and/or the secondary displayarea 16 and having one or more soft touch keys 40, as is also shown inFIG. 1. In still other aspects, the player-input devices 26 comprisetechnologies that do not rely upon physical contact between the playerand the gaming terminal, such as speech-recognition technology,gesture-sensing technology, eye-tracking technology, etc. Theplayer-input or user-input device(s) 26 thus accept(s) player input(s)and transforms the player input(s) to electronic data signals indicativeof a player input or inputs corresponding to an enabled feature for suchinput(s) at a time of activation (e.g., pressing a “Max Bet” button orsoft key to indicate a player's desire to place a maximum wager to playthe wagering game). The input(s), once transformed into electronic datasignals, are output to a CPU or controller 42 (see FIG. 2) forprocessing. The electronic data signals are selected from a groupconsisting essentially of an electrical current, an electrical voltage,an electrical charge, an optical signal, an optical element, a magneticsignal, and a magnetic element.

The information reader 24 (or information reader/writer) is preferablylocated on the front of the housing 12 and comprises, in at least someforms, a ticket reader, card reader, bar code scanner, wirelesstransceiver (e.g., RFID, Bluetooth, etc.), biometric reader, orcomputer-readable-storage-medium interface. As noted, the informationreader may comprise a physical and/or electronic writing element topermit writing to a ticket, a card, or computer-readable-storage-medium.The information reader 24 permits information to be transmitted from aportable medium (e.g., ticket, voucher, coupon, casino card, smart card,debit card, credit card, etc.) to the information reader 24 to enablethe gaming terminal 10 or associated external system to access anaccount associated with cashless gaming, to facilitate player trackingor game customization, to retrieve a saved-game state, to store acurrent-game state, to cause data transfer, and/or to facilitate accessto casino services, such as is more fully disclosed, by way of example,in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003/0045354, published on Mar. 6, 2003,entitled “Portable Data Unit for Communicating With Gaming Machine OverWireless Link,” which is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety. The noted account associated with cashless gaming is, in someaspects of the present concepts, stored at an external system 46 (seeFIG. 2) as more fully disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,280,328 to Holch etal. entitled “Cashless Computerized Video Game System and Method,” whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, or is alternativelystored directly on the portable storage medium. Various securityprotocols or features can be used to enhance security of the portablestorage medium. For example, in some aspects, the individual carryingthe portable storage medium is required to enter a secondary independentauthenticator (e.g., password, PIN number, biometric, etc.) to accessthe account stored on the portable storage medium.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the various components of the gaming terminal 10are controlled by one or more processors (e.g., CPU, distributedprocessors, etc.) 42, also referred to herein generally as a controller(e.g., microcontroller, microprocessor, etc.). The controller 42 caninclude any suitable processor(s), such as an Intel® Pentium processor,Intel® Core 2 Duo processor, AMD Opteron™ processor, or UltraSPARC®processor. By way of example, the controller 42 includes a plurality ofmicroprocessors including a master processor, a slave processor, and asecondary or parallel processor. Controller 42, as used herein,comprises any combination of hardware, software, and/or firmwaredisposed in and/or disposed outside of the gaming terminal 10 that isconfigured to communicate with and/or control the transfer of databetween the gaming terminal 10 and a bus, another computer, processor,or device and/or a service and/or a network. The controller 42 comprisesone or more controllers or processors and such one or more controllersor processors need not be disposed proximal to one another and may belocated in different devices and/or in different locations. For example,a first processor is disposed proximate a user interface device (e.g., apush button panel, a touch screen display, etc.) and a second processoris disposed remotely from the first processor, the first and secondprocessors being electrically connected through a network. As anotherexample, the first processor is disposed in a first enclosure (e.g., agaming machine) and a second processor is disposed in a second enclosure(e.g., a server) separate from the first enclosure, the first and secondprocessors being communicatively connected through a network. Thecontroller 42 is operable to execute all of the various gaming methodsand other processes disclosed herein.

To provide gaming functions, the controller 42 executes one or more gameprograms comprising machine-executable instructions stored in localand/or remote computer-readable data storage media (e.g., memory 44 orother suitable storage device). The term computer-readable data storagemedia, or “computer-readable medium,” as used herein refers to anymedia/medium that participates in providing instructions to controller42 for execution. The computer-readable medium comprises, in at leastsome exemplary forms, non-volatile media (e.g., optical disks, magneticdisks, etc.), volatile media (e.g., dynamic memory, RAM), andtransmission media (e.g., coaxial cables, copper wire, fiber optics,radio frequency (RF) data communication, infrared (IR) datacommunication, etc). Common forms of computer-readable media include,for example, a hard disk, magnetic tape (or other magnetic medium), a2-D or 3-D optical disc (e.g., a CD-ROM, DVD, etc.), RAM, PROM, EPROM,FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or solid state digital data storagedevice, a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer canread. By way of example, a plurality of storage media or devices areprovided, a first storage device being disposed proximate the userinterface device and a second storage device being disposed remotelyfrom the first storage device, wherein a network is connectedintermediate the first one and second one of the storage devices.

Various forms of computer-readable media may be involved in carrying oneor more sequences of one or more instructions to controller 42 forexecution. By way of example, the instructions may initially be borne ona data storage device of a remote device (e.g., a remote computer,server, or system). The remote device can load the instructions into itsdynamic memory and send the instructions over a telephone line or othercommunication path using a modem or other communication deviceappropriate to the communication path. A modem or other communicationdevice local to the gaming machine 10 or to an external system 46associated with the gaming machine can receive the data on the telephoneline or conveyed through the communication path (e.g., via externalsystems interface 58) and output the data to a bus, which transmits thedata to the system memory 44 associated with the processor 42, fromwhich system memory the processor retrieves and executes theinstructions.

Thus, the controller 42 is able to send and receive data, via carriersignals, through the network(s), network link, and communicationinterface. The data includes, in various examples, instructions,commands, program code, player data, and game data. As to the game data,in at least some aspects of the present concepts, the controller 42 usesa local random number generator (RNG) to randomly generate a wageringgame outcome from a plurality of possible outcomes. Alternatively, theoutcome is centrally determined using either an RNG or pooling scheme ata remote controller included, for example, within the external system46.

As shown in the example of FIG. 2, the controller 42 is coupled to thesystem memory 44. The system memory 44 is shown to comprise a volatilememory (e.g., a random-access memory (RAM)) and a non-volatile memory(e.g., an EEPROM), but optionally includes multiple RAM and multipleprogram memories.

As shown in the example of FIG. 2, the controller 42 is also coupled toa money/credit detector 48. The money/credit detector 48 is configuredto output a signal the controller 42 that money and/or credits have beeninput via one or more value-input devices, such as the bill validator20, coin acceptor 22, or via other sources, such as a cashless gamingaccount, etc. The value-input device(s) is integrated with the housing12 of the gaming terminal 10 and is connected to the remainder of thecomponents of the gaming terminal 10, as appropriate, via a wiredconnection, such as I/O 56, or wireless connection. The money/creditdetector 48 detects the input of valid funds into the gaming terminal 10(e.g., via currency, electronic funds, ticket, card, etc.) via thevalue-input device(s) and outputs a signal to the controller 42 carryingdata regarding the input value of the valid funds. The controller 42extracts the data from these signals from the money/credit detector 48,analyzes the associated data, and transforms the data corresponding tothe input value into an equivalent credit balance that is available tothe player for subsequent wagers on the gaming terminal 10, suchtransforming of the data being effected by software, hardware, and/orfirmware configured to associate the input value to an equivalent creditvalue. Where the input value is already in a credit value form, such asin a cashless gaming account having stored therein a credit value, thewager is simply deducted from the available credit balance.

As seen in FIG. 2, the controller 42 is also connected to, and controls,the primary display area 14, the player-input device(s) 26, and a payoffmechanism 50. The payoff mechanism 50 is operable in response toinstructions from the controller 42 to award a payoff to the player inresponse to certain winning outcomes that occur in the base game, thebonus game(s), or via an external game or event. The payoff is providedin the form of money, credits, redeemable points, advancement within agame, access to special features within a game, services, anotherexchangeable media, or any combination thereof. Although payoffs may bepaid out in coins and/or currency bills, payoffs are alternativelyassociated with a coded ticket (from a ticket printer 52), a portablestorage medium or device (e.g., a card magnetic strip), or aretransferred to or transmitted to a designated player account. The payoffamounts distributed by the payoff mechanism 50 are determined by one ormore pay tables stored in the system memory 44.

Communications between the controller 42 and both the peripheralcomponents of the gaming terminal 10 and the external system 46 occurthrough input/output (I/O) circuit 56, which can include any suitablebus technologies, such as an AGTL+front-side bus and a PCI backside bus.Although the I/O circuit 56 is shown as a single block, it should beappreciated that the I/O circuit 56 alternatively includes a number ofdifferent types of I/O circuits. Furthermore, in some embodiments, thecomponents of the gaming terminal 10 can be interconnected according toany suitable interconnection architecture (e.g., directly connected,hypercube, etc.).

The I/O circuit 56 is connected to an external system interface orcommunication device 58, which is connected to the external system 46.The controller 42 communicates with the external system 46 via theexternal system interface 58 and a communication path (e.g., serial,parallel, IR, RC, 10bT, near field, etc.). The external system 46includes, in various aspects, a gaming network, other gaming terminals,a gaming server, a remote controller, communications hardware, or avariety of other interfaced systems or components, in any combination.In yet other aspects, the external system 46 may comprise a player'sportable electronic device (e.g., cellular phone, electronic wallet,etc.) and the external system interface 58 is configured to facilitatewireless communication and data transfer between the portable electronicdevice and the controller 42, such as by a near field communication pathoperating via magnetic field induction or a frequency-hopping spreadspectrum RF signals (e.g., Bluetooth, etc.).

The gaming terminal 10 optionally communicates with external system 46(in a wired or wireless manner) such that each terminal operates as a“thin client” having relatively less functionality, a “thick client”having relatively more functionality, or with any range of functionalitytherebetween (e.g., an “intermediate client”). In general, a wageringgame includes an RNG for generating a random number, game logic fordetermining the outcome based on the randomly generated number, and gameassets (e.g., art, sound, etc.) for presenting the determined outcome toa player in an audio-visual manner. The RNG, game logic, and game assetsare contained within the gaming terminal 10 (“thick client” gamingterminal), the external systems 46 (“thin client” gaming terminal), orare distributed therebetween in any suitable manner (“intermediateclient” gaming terminal).

Referring now to FIG. 3, an image of a basic-game screen 60 adapted tobe displayed on the primary display area 14 is illustrated, according toone embodiment of the present disclosure. A player begins play of abasic wagering game by providing a wager. A player can operate orinteract with the wagering game using the one or more player-inputdevices 26. The controller 42, the external system 46, or both, inalternative embodiments, operate(s) to execute a wagering game programcausing the primary display area 14 to display the wagering game thatincludes a plurality of visual elements.

In accord with various methods of conducting a wagering game on a gamingsystem in accord with the present concepts, the wagering game includes agame sequence in which a player makes a wager, such as through themoney/credit detector 48, touch screen 38 soft key, button panel, or thelike, and a wagering game outcome is associated with the wager. Thewagering game outcome is then revealed to the player in due coursefollowing initiation of the wagering game. The method comprises the actsof conducting the wagering game using a gaming apparatus, such as thegaming terminal 10 depicted in FIG. 1, following receipt of an inputfrom the player to initiate the wagering game. The gaming terminal 10then communicates the wagering game outcome to the player via one ormore output devices (e.g., primary display 14) through the display ofinformation such as, but not limited to, text, graphics, text andgraphics, static images, moving images, etc., or any combinationthereof. In accord with the method of conducting the wagering game, thecontroller 42, which comprises one or more processors, transforms aphysical player input, such as a player's pressing of a “Spin Reels”soft key 84 (see FIG. 3), into an electronic data signal indicative ofan instruction relating to the wagering game (e.g., an electronic datasignal bearing data on a wager amount).

In the aforementioned method, for each data signal, the controller 42 isconfigured to processes the electronic data signal, to interpret thedata signal (e.g., data signals corresponding to a wager input), and tocause further actions associated with the interpretation of the signalin accord with computer instructions relating to such further actionsexecuted by the controller. As one example, the controller 42 causes therecording of a digital representation of the wager in one or morestorage devices (e.g., system memory 44 or a memory associated with anexternal system 46), the controller, in accord with associated computerinstructions, causing the changing of a state of the data storage devicefrom a first state to a second state. This change in state is, forexample, effected by changing a magnetization pattern on a magneticallycoated surface of a magnetic storage device or changing a magnetic stateof a ferromagnetic surface of a magneto-optical disc storage device, achange in state of transistors or capacitors in a volatile or anon-volatile semiconductor memory (e.g., DRAM), etc.). The noted secondstate of the data storage device comprises storage in the storage deviceof data representing the electronic data signal from the controller(e.g., the wager in the present example). As another example, thecontroller 42 further, in accord with the execution of the instructionsrelating to the wagering game, causes the primary display 14 or otherdisplay device and/or other output device (e.g., speakers, lights,communication device, etc.), to change from a first state to at least asecond state, wherein the second state of the primary display comprisesa visual representation of the physical player input (e.g., anacknowledgement to a player), information relating to the physicalplayer input (e.g., an indication of the wager amount), a game sequence,an outcome of the game sequence, or any combination thereof, wherein thegame sequence in accord with the present concepts comprises actsdescribed herein. The aforementioned executing of computer instructionsrelating to the wagering game is further conducted in accord with arandom outcome (e.g., determined by the RNG) that is used by thecontroller 42 to determine the outcome of the game sequence, using agame logic for determining the outcome based on the randomly generatednumber. In at least some aspects, the controller 42 is configured todetermine an outcome of the game sequence at least partially in responseto the random parameter.

The basic-game screen 60 is displayed on the primary display area 14 ora portion thereof. In FIG. 3, the basic-game screen 60 portrays aplurality of simulated movable reels 62 a-e. Alternatively oradditionally, the basic-game screen 60 portrays a plurality ofmechanical reels or other video or mechanical presentation consistentwith the game format and theme. The basic-game screen 60 alsoadvantageously displays one or more game-session meters and variousbuttons adapted to be actuated by a player.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 3, the game-session meters includea “credit” meter 64 for displaying a number of credits available forplay on the terminal; a “lines” meter 66 for displaying a number ofpaylines to be played by a player on the terminal; a “line bet” meter 68for displaying a number of credits wagered (e.g., from 1 to 5 or morecredits) for each of the number of paylines played; a “total bet” meter70 for displaying a total number of credits wagered for the particularround of wagering; and a “paid” meter 72 for displaying an amount to beawarded based on the results of the particular round's wager. Thedepicted user-selectable buttons include a “collect” button 74 tocollect the credits remaining in the credits meter 64; a “help” button76 for viewing instructions on how to play the wagering game; a “paytable” button 78 for viewing a pay table associated with the basicwagering game; a “select lines” button 80 for changing the number ofpaylines (displayed in the lines meter 66) a player wishes to play; a“bet per line” button 82 for changing the amount of the wager which isdisplayed in the line-bet meter 68; a “spin reels” button 84 for movingthe reels 62 a-e; and a “max bet spin” button 86 for wagering a maximumnumber of credits and moving the reels 62 a-e of the basic wageringgame. While the gaming terminal 10 allows for these types of playerinputs, the present disclosure does not require them and can be used ongaming terminals having more, less, or different player inputs.

As shown in the example of FIG. 3, paylines 30 extend from one of thepayline indicators 88 a-i on the left side of the basic-game screen 60to a corresponding one of the payline indicators 88 a-i on the rightside of the screen 60. A plurality of symbols 90 is displayed on theplurality of reels 62 a-e to indicate possible outcomes of the basicwagering game. A winning combination occurs when the displayed symbols90 correspond to one of the winning symbol combinations listed in a paytable stored in the memory 44 of the terminal 10 or in the externalsystem 46. The symbols 90 may include any appropriate graphicalrepresentation or animation, and may further include a “blank” symbol.

Symbol combinations are evaluated in accord with various schemes suchas, but not limited to, “line pays” or “scatter pays.” Line pays areevaluated left to right, right to left, top to bottom, bottom to top, orany combination thereof by evaluating the number, type, or order ofsymbols 90 appearing along an activated payline 30. Scatter pays areevaluated without regard to position or paylines and only require thatsuch combination appears anywhere on the reels 62 a-e. While anembodiment with nine paylines is shown, a wagering game with nopaylines, a single payline, or any plurality of paylines will also workwith the present disclosure. Additionally, though an embodiment withfive reels is shown in FIG. 3, different embodiments of the gamingterminal 10 comprise a greater or lesser number of reels in accordancewith the present disclosure.

Turning now to FIG. 4, an example of a bonus game to a basic wageringgame is illustrated. A bonus-game screen 92 includes an array of markers94 located in a plurality of columns and rows. The bonus game is enteredupon the occurrence of a triggering event, such as the occurrence of astart-bonus game outcome (e.g., symbol trigger, mystery trigger,time-based trigger, etc.) in or during the basic wagering game.Alternatively, any bonus game described herein is able to be deployed asa stand-alone wagering game independent of a basic wagering game.

In the illustrated bonus game of FIG. 4, a player selects, one at atime, from the array of markers 94 to reveal an associated bonus-gameoutcome. According to one embodiment of this bonus game, each marker 94in the array is associated with an award outcome 96 (e.g., credits orother non-negative outcomes) or an end-game outcome 98. In theillustrated example, a player has selected an award outcome 96 with theplayer's first two selections (25 credits and 100 credits,respectively). When one or more end-game outcome 98 is selected (asillustrated by the player's third pick), the bonus game is terminatedand the accumulated award outcomes 96 are provided to the player.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an exemplary gaming system, designatedgenerally at 500, comprising a plurality of gaming terminals 510A-D isshown in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. Althoughdiffering in appearance, the gaming terminals 510A-D can be similar infunction and connectivity to the gaming terminal 10 discussed above withrespect to FIGS. 1 and 2. Each gaming terminal 510A-D includes a primarydisplay 514A-D (and, optionally, a secondary display) supported by arespective housing 512A-D. The gaming terminals 510A-D of FIG. 5 cantake on various configurations, including free standing gaming machines(e.g., gaming terminal 10 of FIG. 1), handheld gaming machines (notshown), countertop gaming machines (not shown), personal computers orlaptop computers (not shown), or any combination thereof.

Each gaming terminal 510A-D may communicate with an external system(e.g., external system(s) 46 of FIG. 2) such that the terminal operatesas a “thin client,” a “thick client,” or through any range offunctionality therebetween. The primary displays 514A-D of each gamingterminal 510A-D display wagering games, such as those described abovewith respect to FIGS. 3 and 4 or those described below with respect toFIGS. 6-12, for example. The various terminals 510A-D may display thesame wagering game or each may display a different wagering game. In theillustrated embodiment, the wagering game displayed by each of thegaming terminals 510A-D is the reel-type slot game illustrated in FIG.6, which is described in further detail hereinbelow. The gaming system500 may comprise greater or fewer than the four terminals illustrated inFIG. 5 without departing from the scope and spirit of the presentdisclosure.

A controller, which is schematically illustrated at 542 in FIG. 5, isoperatively connected to and/or operatively connects the gamingterminals 510A-D such that players at each of the gaming terminals510A-D can play a shared game or community game, such as the communitywagering game 630 shown in FIG. 7-12, for example. The controller 542may be similarly configured in accordance with any of the optionalconfigurations described above with respect to the CPU 42 of FIG. 2. Insome optional embodiments, the controller 542 takes on the form of acentral server, central controller, or remote host that links to thegaming terminals 510A-D through a data network or remote communicationlink 544. In some representative arrangements, the controller 542 is acommunity controller, which controls at least the community portion ofthe wagering game. To that end, the processor of each gaming terminal510A-D can be designed to transmit and receive events, messages,commands, and/or any other suitable data or signals between theindividual gaming terminals 510A-D and the controller 542.

The system 500 of FIG. 5 further includes a community display 502, whichis shown mounted above and/or supported by the gaming terminals 510A-D.The community display 502 may comprise a secondary video display, suchas a plasma, LED, LCD, CRT, projection, or any other now known or laterdeveloped display device. Information relevant to the community wageringgame, or selected portions thereof, is displayed via the communitydisplay 502 so that it is visible to players of the gaming terminals510A-D. The community wagering game may be one of any number of bonusgames, group games, competition games, etc., and may involveinteraction, competition, collaboration or common outcomes for aplurality of players of the gaming terminals 510A-D. The system 500 mayfurther include signage 504, which comprises other labels, signs,indicators, or markings relating to advertising, promotions, or a themeof one or more of the gaming terminals 510A-D or one or more communitywagering games. In the embodiment shown, the signage 504 is entitledCLUE™, and is related to a theme of the illustrated community wageringgame displayed on the community display 502.

In FIG. 6, the primary display 514 of one of the gaming terminals 510 ofthe system 500 is shown. The display 514 displays or otherwise visuallydepicts a wagering game 530, which in this example is the slot gameshown in FIG. 6. The wagering game 530 includes a plurality ofsymbol-bearing reels, designated generally as 521-525, respectively,each having a plurality of distinct symbol positions and bearing anarray of symbols (collectively represented by symbols 260-262 in FIG.6). The symbols may include any variety of graphical symbols, emblems,elements, or representations, including symbols that are associated withone or more themes (e.g., a Clue™ board game theme) of the gamingterminal 510 or system 500. The symbols may also include a blank symbolor empty space. The symbols on the reels 521-525 are arranged in anarray or matrix, which in this embodiment is a 3×5 matrix of symbols.The reels 521-525 are varied (e.g., spun and stopped) to revealcombinations of symbols, which represent randomly selected outcomes ofthe wagering game 530, that are evaluated for winning combinations.Winning combinations of symbols landing, for example, on activatedpaylines (e.g., those paylines for which a wager has been received),cause awards to be paid in accordance with one or more pay tablesassociated with the gaming system 500.

The wagering game 530 can include fewer or additional symbol-bearingreels (simulated, mechanical, or combinations thereof) and/or symbolbearing positions than those shown in FIG. 6. In alternate embodiments,the randomly selected outcomes may comprise greater or fewer than 15symbols, and may take on a variety of different forms having greater orfewer rows and/or columns. The matrix may even comprise othernon-rectangular forms or arrangements of symbols. Moreover, the randomlyselected outcomes of the wagering game 530 may be varied from therepresentation provided in FIG. 6. Likewise, the Clue™ board game themeis purely illustrative and non-limiting in nature.

The primary display 514 further includes certain display features forproviding information and options to a player. For example, the display514 features may include a MENU button 580, a WIN meter 582, a CREDITSmeter 584, and a BET meter 586. The MENU button 580 can be pressed andactivated (e.g., through an overlying touch screen) by a player desiringto access other control menus, preferences, help screens, etc. Forexample, the player can change a theme of the wagering game 530 via theMENU button 580, or change the type of wagering game being played (e.g.,to video poker, keno, etc.). The WIN meter 582 displays to the playerthe amount of the total win (if any) from the most recent play of thewagering game 530. The CREDITS meter 584 displays to the player thetotal amount of credits (if any) remaining and available to the playerfor play of the wagering game 530. The BET meter 586 displays to aplayer the current size of his/her wager (in credits). Fewer, additionalor alternative display features may be included for presentinginformation/options to a player. In a specific instance, the display 514also features an optional player data window 588, which displaysinformation related to the player currently playing at the terminal 510,such as personal information and player tracking data. The primarydisplay 514 can also include, for example, an optionalchange-denomination feature that can be activated to change thedenomination of wagers which the player is inputting into the system500, bet change buttons that permit a player to increase and decreasethe size of his/her wager accordingly, a “max bet spin” button forwagering a maximum number of credits and spinning the reels of thewagering game 530, as well as any of the buttons and meters displayed inFIG. 3.

In FIG. 7, the community display 502 of the gaming system 500 is showndisplaying an exemplary community wagering game 630, which in thisexample is a Clue™-board-game themed progressive wagering game. Ingeneral, the object of the Clue™ game is for players to move through therooms of a mansion collecting clues from which to deduce: (1) whichsuspect murdered the game's victim, (2) which weapon was used in themurder, and (3) in which room of the mansion was the murder perpetrated.In a more specific, sophisticated example, players strategically movethrough eight different rooms 650-657 in a multi-room mansion(historically known as the “Boddy Mansion” or “Tudor Mansion”),designated generally as 658 in FIG. 7. These eight rooms include: aballroom 650, a dining room 651, a billiards room 652, a lounge 653, akitchen 654, a library 655, a study 656, and a conservatory 657. Themansion 658 may include greater or fewer than the eight roomsillustrated in FIG. 7. For example, the mansion 658 may further comprisea cellar and a hall, neither of which are illustrated herein but arepart of the Clue™ board game.

Continuing with the foregoing example, each of the participants in thecommunity wagering game 630 moves through the rooms 650-657 of themansion 658 in the guise of one of the game's various characters. By wayof non-limiting example, the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 7 features sixdifferent characters: Miss Scarlet 661, Mrs. Peacock 662, Professor Plum663, Mrs. White 664, Colonel Mustard 665, and Reverend Green 666, eachof which is represented by a respective avatar (or other individualizedgame piece) on one or more of the displays in the gaming system 500.Each of the characters 661-666 may be dedicated to and, thus, controlledby one of the players at the gaming terminals 510A-D. To that end, theplayer's name or a pseudonym used by the player (a “handle”) may bedisplayed proximate to the player's character. In addition, or as analternative thereto, one or more of the characters 661-666 may becontrolled by one or more of the gaming terminals 510A-D, by thecontroller 542, by a player(s) at a remote cite, or any combinationthereof. Moreover, fewer or greater than six characters can be presentedin the community wagering game 630. Some additional characters that canbe presented include, for example, Mme. Rose, Sgt. Gray, Miss Peach, andMrs. Silver.

While traversing the various rooms, corridors, and passages in themansion 558, the characters 661-665 collect different clues from whichto deduce which suspect murdered the game's perpetual victim—e.g., Dr.Black or, depending on the version being played, Mr. Boddy. In someembodiments, the characters 661-666 move at random, for example, byrolling an electronically simulated pair of gambling dice. Inalternative embodiments, the characters 661-666 move in response toselection of a bonus game associated with a particular room. Optionalconfigurations may comprise a character being animated in a celebratorymanor whenever the player associated therewith achieves a positiveoutcome, such as a large winning outcome during a base game or a bonusgame.

During play of the wagering game 530, which may include times when thereels 521-525 are being spun and stopped, as well as intermittent timestherebetween, or any time that any player is present at one of thegaming terminals 5510A-D, certain triggering events may trigger thecommunity wagering game 630. The triggering events may be certainoutcomes occurring on one or more of the gaming terminals 510A-D of thesystem 500. For example, certain symbol combinations may trigger acommunity wagering game. Other triggers may include randomly executedcommunity wagering games, which may be based upon the time playing thewagering game 530 (“time on device”) or the size and/or number ofwagers. According to one specific example, in an embodiment, thecommunity wagering game 630 may be triggered in a “mystery” fashion. Amystery trigger is a trigger that is generally independent of thedisplayed outcome(s) of the wagering game 530. Instead, a mysterytriggering event is communicated to the player when it occurs, but theplayer may be unaware of what caused the triggering event. For example,the player may be simply informed via a primary display, secondarydisplay, community display, and/or accompanying audio, that thecommunity wagering game 630 has been triggered. Such “mystery”triggering events may be driven by a number of mechanics that are notobservable by the player. For example, mystery triggering events mayinclude time-based triggers where the community wagering game 630 isautomatically triggered after a certain amount of time has elapsed.Moreover, the mystery trigger may be a randomly selected event, such asintermittently randomly selecting a number from a pool of numbers untilthe selected number matches a triggering number or range of numbers. Inyet other embodiments, mystery triggering events may include a thresholdtime playing a wagering game 530 (time on device), total wagers inputmeeting a predetermined amount (coin in), accumulation of a certainamount of credits, points, or assets, etc.

In alternate embodiments, the triggering event is dependent on thedisplayed outcome of the wagering game, for example, a symbol driven(“symbol-based”) triggering event. A symbol driven triggering event, maycomprise, for example, three or more symbols aligning on an activepayline, symbols being arranged in predetermined patterns, or atriggering symbol(s) appearing anywhere in the displayed outcome of thewagering game 530. In other embodiments, player selection of anappropriate selectable element may reveal an award, which may includetriggering the community wagering game 630. In yet other embodiments,the outcome-based triggering events may include accumulation of certainassets or advancement to certain stages or episodes within the game.

Upon the occurrence of one or more of the triggering events, a communitywagering game is displayed, as described herein. In an embodiment, onlyeligible players participate in the displayed community wagering game.Such eligibility can be based on a number of factors. For example, onlyplayers wagering a certain amount, or wagering at a certain coin-inrate, or having certain time on device, or reaching certain levels orepisodes of the primary wagering game 530, or any combination thereof,may be eligible to participate in the community wagering game, whentriggered. Other eligibility criteria may include total coin in ondevice, achieving certain outcomes in the primary wagering game 530,collection of certain assets, player reward accumulation and awardlevel, etc. Moreover, the gaming system 500 may include play of aplurality of community wagering games, and may select one or more ofthose community wagering games to execute, and thereby permit play byone or more eligible players at the various gaming devices of the system500, as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos.2005/0003886, 2006/0009283, 2006/0135243, all to Allon G. Englman etal., which are all incorporated herein by reference in their respectiveentireties.

FIG. 8 illustrates a plurality of unlockable game features 671-676 thatare associated with the community game 630. Each of the unlockable gamefeatures 671-676 is initially “locked” and, thus, inaccessible to theplayers at the gaming terminals 510A-D. In the illustrated embodiment,for example, each of the rooms 650-657 in the mansion 668 is associatedwith a bonus game or secondary game. The rooms 650-657 can be associatedwith the same bonus/secondary game or each may be associated with adifferent bonus/secondary game. In response to a triggering event, suchas those described in the previous paragraphs, a SELECT YOUR BONUSselection screen 632 illustrated in FIG. 8 is presented to the player,for example, on the community display 502 and/or a respective terminaldisplay 514. The SELECT YOUR BONUS selection screen 632 presents to theplayer a plurality of selectable elements from which the player selectsa bonus game he/she wishes to play. In the illustrated embodiment, theselectable elements are the unlocked rooms 650-657 of the mansion 668.Initially, however, some/all of the rooms 650-657 are locked orotherwise prohibited, which may be visually indicated to the player, forexample, with padlocks, as seen in FIG. 8. Consequently, the lockedrooms (i.e., unlockable features 671-676) and, thus, their correspondingbonus games cannot be selected by players (i.e., are inaccessible).

Each time play of the community game 630 is initiated or “triggered,”one or more players attempt to unlock one or more of the unlockablefeatures 671-676 (e.g., locked rooms in FIG. 8)). The unlockablefeatures 671-676 can be unlocked, for example, sequentially, randomly,or selectively (e.g., by a player, terminal, or the communitycontroller), etc. By way of non-limiting example, the rooms 650-657 areunlocked sequentially by floor, starting on the first floor andprogressing to the top floor of the mansion 658. According to someaspects of the present disclosure, the ballroom 650 and the dining room651 on the first floor of the mansion 668 are initially unlocked. Incontrast, the billiards room 652, lounge 653, kitchen 654, library 655,study 656, and conservatory 657 are initially locked and, thus,prohibited from access by the players. Alternative embodiments initiallylock all of the rooms or provide greater or fewer than two initiallyunlocked rooms. Continuing with the above example, all players start onthe first floor of the mansion 658. Next, the billiards room 652, lounge653, kitchen 654, and conservatory 657 on the second floor of themansion 668 are unlocked in random order. Once all four of these roomsare unlocked, the two rooms on the top floor of the mansion 658—i.e.,the library 655 and the study 656, are unlocked successively fromleft-to-right.

Returning to FIG. 6, a player begins play of the wagering game 530, forexample, by providing a wager. A player can operate or interact with thewagering game 530 using one or more player-input devices, such as thosedescribed above with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. A local controller (e.g.,CPU 42 of FIG. 2), a host system (e.g., external system 46 of FIG. 2),the community controller 542 (FIG. 6), or any combination thereof, inalternative embodiments, operates to execute a wagering game programcausing the primary display area 514 to display the wagering game 530 orselected portions thereof. An outcome of the wagering is randomlyselected from a plurality of wagering game outcomes (e.g., using a localrandom number generator (RNG)). The wagering game outcome is thenrevealed, displayed, or otherwise communicated to the player, forexample, on a corresponding display 514. In FIG. 6, the game screen 514displays the wagering game outcome by portraying the plurality ofsimulated reels 521-525 spinning and stopping to reveal a plurality ofsymbols arranged in an matrix. A winning combination occurs, forexample, when the displayed symbols correspond to one or more of thewinning symbol combinations listed in a pay table. In response, abase-game prize (also referred to herein as “first prize”) associatedwith a winning outcome in the wagering game of FIG. 6 is conferred uponthe player.

Continuing with the above-example, the outcome of the wagering game 530is also evaluated for a triggering event, such as, for example, acombination of community-game triggering symbols. In the illustratedembodiment, the appearance of at least two CLUE? symbols 264 anywhere onthe reels 521-525 triggers the community wagering game 630. One suchscatter-type symbol-based triggering event can be seen in FIG. 6, wherea first CLUE? symbol 264 appears on the second reel 522 and a secondCLUE? symbol 264 appears on the fourth reel 524. Responsively, theSELECT YOUR BONUS selection screen 632 illustrated in FIG. 8 ispresented to the player, for example, on a respective terminal display514. In some preferred embodiments, the SELECT YOUR BONUS selectionscreen 632 is presented to a single player, whereby only that singleplayer attempts to complete the unlocking-game feature.

From the SELECT YOUR BONUS selection screen 632, the player selects abonus game (e.g., by choosing one of the unlocked rooms 650, 651, 653).In a non-limiting example, selection of the ballroom 650 initiates afree spin bonus game. The ballroom free spin bonus game may comprise,for example, an enlarged, more detailed ballroom, which is filled withdancing couples each bearing a symbol, being displayed to the player.Each free spin comprises the couples waltzing around the room andstopping or settling into a 3×5 grid of symbols, at which time pays areevaluated in any known manner. Symbols can then be removed when amurderer takes out all the couples with low paying symbols on theirbacks, after which the group dances again. A bonus-game prize (alsoreferred to herein as “second prize”) associated with one or morewinning bonus outcomes in the ballroom free spin bonus game is conferredupon the player.

In another non-limiting example, selection of the dining room 651initiates a picking bonus game. The dining room picking bonus game maycomprise, for example, an enlarged, more detailed dining room, which isfilled with player-selectable wine glasses, being displayed to theplayer. The player chooses glasses of wine to serve to guests. One ormore of the wine glasses conceal bonus prizes (also referred to hereinas “second prize”), such as multipliers and credits, which are conferredupon the player when such glasses are selected. Contrastingly, one ormore of the wine glasses are poisoned. Serving a poison-filled glass toa guest will typically end the dining room picking bonus game. If,however, a selected poison-filled glass is served to a murderer, thebonus can continues.

In addition to allowing a player to select and play a bonus game, thetriggering event (e.g., combination of community-game triggering symbolsillustrated in FIG. 6) also initiates an unlocking-game feature. Asuccessful outcome in or a successful completion of the unlocking-gamefeature unlocks at least one of the unlockable features 671-676. If, forexample, the unlocking-game feature is successfully completed by aplayer on one of the gaming terminals 510A-D in the gaming system 500,at least one of the unlockable features 671-676 is unlocked such thatmultiple players at multiple terminals 510A-D on the gaming system 500can subsequently access the unlocked feature(s). In an optionalconfiguration, every player who is “present” on the gaming system 500during the unlocking-game feature is credited with the unlocked feature.Being “present” may comprise, for example, physical presence at one ofthe gaming terminals 510A-D or representative presence on the gamingsystem 500 (e.g., via a character dedicated to a player being shown inthe community game 630). A player's unlocked features may optionally bestored on a corresponding player account or in the gaming system 500such that the unlocked features can be recalled during subsequent playsat a terminal 510 even after the player has left the gaming system 500.

FIG. 9 is a screen shot of an exemplary unlocking-game feature 680 thatunlocks the unlockable features 671-676 presented in FIG. 8. In theillustrated embodiment, successful completion of the unlocking-gamefeature 680 includes solving a multi-component mystery. In a Clue™themed unlocking-game feature, players try to solve the mystery of “whodone it, with what, and where?” At the beginning of play, one suspect,one weapon, and one room are chosen at random, e.g., via controller 542.The embodiment of FIG. 9 includes presenting a selection screen wherethe player is prompted to make three selections, one from each of threegroups of player-selectable elements: (1) a group of potential murderers682, (2) a group of potential murder weapons 684, and (3) a group ofpotential murder rooms 686. The group of potential murderers 682includes selectable elements representing each of the community game'ssix characters: Miss Scarlet 661, Mrs. Peacock 662, Professor Plum 663,Mrs. White 664, Colonel Mustard 665, and Reverend Green 666. The groupof potential murder weapons 684 includes selectable elementsrepresenting a rope 691, a candlestick 692, a dagger 693, a wrench 694,a lead pipe 695, and revolver 696. Likewise, the group of potentialmurder rooms 686 includes selectable elements representing each of therooms 650-657 in the mansion 658. Although shown displayed on a display514 of a gaming terminal 510, the unlocking-game feature 680 can bedisplayed solely or contemporaneously, in whole or in part, on thecommunity display 502. Moreover, the unlocking-game feature 680 caninclude greater or fewer than three groups of player-selectableelements, each of which may comprise greater or fewer than the number ofselections illustrated in FIG. 9.

In FIG. 10, a primary display 514 of one of the gaming terminals 510 ofthe system 500 is shown with three representative player selections.According to this particular example, the player selects from the threegroups of player-selectable elements 682, 684, 686 shown in FIG. 9(e.g., via touching a touch screen mounted over the primary display514). As the selections are made, the selectable element representingeach of the selections is enlarged from its original size. In theillustrated embodiment, the player has selected Professor Plum 663 asthe suspected murderer, the revolver 696 as the suspected murder weapon,and the study 656 as the suspected location of the murder. The threeselections made during the unlocking-game feature 680 are displayed onthe primary display 514 of a gaming terminal 510 and, in someembodiment, contemporaneously displayed on the community display 502. Ina non-limiting example, FIG. 11 shows the community display 502displaying the avatar of Prof. Plum 663, which represents the playercurrently playing the unlocking-game feature 680, in the ballroom 650with a pop-up bubble 698. The pop-up bubble 698 provides a visualdepiction of the three selections shown in FIG. 10—i.e., Professor Plum663, the revolver 696, and the study 656.

If all three player selections are correct, the player has successfullycompleted the unlocking-game feature 680. In response to successfullycompleting the unlocking-game feature 680, one or more of the unlockablefeatures 671-676 (e.g., one of the locked rooms illustrated in FIG. 8)are unlocked such that the bonus game associated therewith can besubsequently selected and played by players currently “present” on thegaming system 500. In one embodiment, any/all unlockable features671-676 that are unlocked by any/all players remain permanentlyunlocked. According to an alternate embodiment, an unlocked featureremains permanently unlocked for the unlocking player (i.e., the playerwho successfully completes the unlocking-game feature 680), while thatunlocked feature remains unlocked for other “present” players as long asthose players remain “present” on the gaming system 500 (e.g., continueplaying at one of the gaming terminals 510A-D). Optionally, an unlockedfeature remains permanently unlocked for the unlocking player, whilethat unlocked feature remains unlocked for other players “present” onthe gaming system 500 for a single play or for a predetermined durationof time (e.g., thirty minutes, two hours, one day, one week, etc.). Asan extension of the foregoing concepts, an unlocked feature can remainunlocked for all players as long as they remain “present” on the gamingsystem 500. In this vein, an unlocked feature can remain unlocked forall players for only a limited duration of time and/or at only selectedlocations.

According to other embodiments of the present disclosure, unlockablefeatures 671-676 can be configured to remain unlocked only at specificlocations (e.g., at a particular terminal bank, at a particular gamingestablishment, at a particular group of gaming establishments, etc.).Likewise, the unlockable features 671-676 can be configured to remainunlocked only at a specific location at specific times (e.g., at aparticular casino between certain times of the day). Moreover, theunlockable features 671-676 can be configured to remain unlocked foronly players who meet a certain criteria (e.g., provide an additionalwager, have achieved a particular player status with the gamingestablishment, have an internet account, etc.). Optionally, theunlockable features 671-676 can be configured to remain unlocked for avirtual group of players formed at a website. The virtual group ofplayers may never actually be in the same physical location.

In addition to unlocking one or more of the unlockable features 671-676,a community-game prize (also referred to herein as “third prize”)associated with a successful outcome in or a successful completion ofthe unlocking-game feature 680 is conferred upon the player. In theembodiment illustrated in FIGS. 9-12, for example, the bank of gamingterminals 510A-D is associated with a progressive jackpot 688. If thethree selections made by the player, such as those illustrated in FIG.10, correspond to the suspect, weapon, and room chosen at random at thebeginning of the unlocking-game feature 680, the player is awarded thecurrent value of the progressive jackpot (shown in FIG. 10, for example,as $328.17). Once conferred upon the player, the progressive jackpot canbe subsequently reset to a predetermined minimum amount or “resetvalue”. As players continue to play on the gaming system 500 withoutwinning the jackpot 688, the jackpot amount progressively increases.Subsequently, if the unlocking-game feature 680 is triggered andsuccessfully completed again, a subsequent value of the progressivejackpot is awarded for subsequently unlocking another one of theunlockable features. In alternative embodiments, each of the unlockablegame features 671-676 has an award or progressive jackpot associatedtherewith that is conferred upon the player who unlocks that particularfeature. In yet another alternative embodiment, the progressive jackpot668 is only conferred upon the player who successfully unlocks that lastremaining unlockable game features—e.g., feature 676 of FIG. 8.

Turning next to FIG. 12, if the unlocking-game feature 680 is notsuccessfully completed, none of the unlockable game features 671-676 areunlocked and no additional prizes are conferred upon the player. Inoptional configurations, the player may be provided with a consolationprize for making 2-out-of-3 correct selections, for example. Moreover,the gaming system 500 may provide an indication to the players how tosubsequently successfully complete the unlocking-game feature 680.According to certain aspects of the disclosed concepts, after the threeselections are made and a moment of suspense passes, one or more of theincorrect selections are revealed. For instance, FIG. 12 visuallyindicates that that Professor Plum 663 is not the murderer (e.g., bycrossing out the selection). The incorrect selection(s) can be presentedto the other players on the community display 502, for example, in acommunity notes section 506 (FIG. 7).

With reference now to the flow chart of FIG. 13, an improved method forconducting a wagering game on a gaming system is generally described at700 in accordance with certain embodiments. FIG. 13 represents analgorithm that corresponds to at least some instructions that can beexecuted, for example, by the controller 42, external system(s) 46 ofFIG. 2, and/or controller 542 of FIG. 5 to perform any or all of theabove or below described functions associated with the disclosedconcepts. By way of non-limiting example, the exemplary algorithm 700 ofFIG. 13 includes, at block 701, initiating a wagering game, for example,using a local controller (e.g., CPU 42 of FIG. 2). The wagering game maycomprise those wagering games discussed above with respect to FIGS. 3and 6, which include a plurality of movable reels each of which has aplurality of distinct symbol positions and bears a variety of symbols.

At block 703, the exemplary method 700 includes determining (e.g., viaCPU 42 of FIG. 2) an outcome of the wagering game. The wagering-gameoutcome is randomly determined from a plurality of wagering-gameoutcomes, for example, using a random number generator (RNG) in themanner disclosed above. One or more of the plurality of wagering-gameoutcomes constitutes a winning outcome for which a corresponding awardis conferred upon the player. In addition or as an alternative to theforegoing, block 703 may comprise determining the stop position(s) forthe reels in the array. Correspondingly, block 705 includes displayingthe outcome of the wagering game.

At block 707, the exemplary method 700 includes determining (e.g., viacontroller 542 of FIG. 5) if a triggering event occurred. The triggeringevent can be a symbol-based triggering event included in the displayedoutcome of the wagering game. Alternatively, the triggering event can bea mystery trigger or any of the above-disclosed triggering events. Inresponse to a triggering event, an unlocking-game feature is initiatedat block 709. A successful outcome in or a successful completion of theunlocking-game feature unlocks one or more of the unlockable featuressuch that two or more players can access the underlying feature (e.g.,bonus game) associated with the unlockable feature.

At block 711, the exemplary method 700 includes determining (e.g., viacontroller 542 of FIG. 5) if there was a successful outcome in or asuccessful completion of the unlocking-game feature. Successfulcompletion of the unlocking-game feature may include solving amulti-component mystery. In response to a successful outcome/successfulcompletion, one or more unlockable features are unlocked at block 713such that players at multiple terminals can access the underlyingfeature.

In some embodiments, the method includes at least those steps enumeratedabove. It is also within the scope and spirit of the present inventionto omit steps, include additional steps, and/or modify the orderpresented above. It should be further noted that the method 400represents a single play of a wagering game. However, it is expectedthat the method 400 be applied in a systematic and repetitive manner.

While many preferred embodiments and best modes for carrying out thepresent invention have been described in detail above, those familiarwith the art to which this invention relates will recognize variousalternative designs and embodiments for practicing the invention withinthe scope of the appended claims.

1. A gaming system for conducting a community game, the gaming systemcomprising: a plurality of gaming terminals including at least first andsecond gaming terminals, the first and second gaming terminals eachhaving a display configured to display outcomes of a wagering game, theoutcomes being randomly determined from a plurality of outcomes; and acontroller operatively connected to the plurality of gaming terminalssuch that players at the plurality of gaming terminals can play thecommunity game, the community game including a plurality of unlockablebonus games, the plurality of unlockable bonus games being initiallyinaccessible to the players at the plurality of gaming terminals, thecontroller being operable to: in response to a triggering event in oneof the wagering-game outcomes, initiate an unlocking-game feature,successful completion of the unlocking-game feature unlocking at leastone of the unlockable bonus games; and in response to determining thatthe unlocking-game feature is successfully completed by a first playerat the first gaming terminal, unlock at least one of the unlockablebonus games such that both the first player at the first gaming terminaland a second player at the second gaming terminal can access the atleast one unlocked bonus game.
 2. The gaming system of claim 1, whereinthe controller is further operable to, in response to a secondtriggering event: initiate a second unlocking-game feature, successfulcompletion of the second unlocking-game feature unlocking at least asecond one of the unlockable bonus games; and in response to determiningthat the second unlocking-game feature is successfully completed by thesecond player at the second gaming terminal, unlock at least a secondone of the unlockable bonus games such that both the first player at thefirst gaming terminal and the second player at the second gamingterminal can access the at least second unlocked bonus game.
 3. Thegaming system of claim 2, wherein, in response to a third triggeringevent, the display at the first gaming terminal is configured to displaya first selection screen from which the first player can select to playpreviously unlocked ones of the plurality of unlockable bonus gamesincluding the at least one unlocked bonus game and the at least secondunlocked bonus game.
 4. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein, inresponse to a subsequent triggering event, the display at the secondgaming terminal is configured to display a second selection screen fromwhich the second player can select to play previously unlocked ones ofthe plurality of unlockable bonus games including the at least oneunlocked bonus game.
 5. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein thecontroller is further operable to, in response to determining that theunlocking-game feature is not successfully completed, provide anindication to both the first and second players how to subsequentlysuccessfully complete the unlocking-game feature.
 6. The gaming systemof claim 1, wherein successful completion of the unlocking-game featureincludes solving a multi-component mystery.
 7. The gaming system ofclaim 1, wherein, in response to the triggering event, the display atthe first gaming terminal is configured to display a bonus game, andwherein the player is awarded a first prize associated with a winningoutcome in the wagering game, a second prize associated with a winningbonus outcome in the bonus game, and a third prize associated withsuccessfully completing the unlocking-game feature.
 8. The gaming systemof claim 1, wherein the first player is awarded a current value of aprogressive jackpot for successfully completing the unlocking-gamefeature and thereby unlocking at least one of the unlockable bonusgames, a subsequent value of the progressive jackpot being awarded forsubsequently unlocking another one of the plurality of unlockable bonusgames.
 9. The gaming system of claim 1, further comprising a communitydisplay readily visible to at least the first and second players at thefirst and second gaming terminals, wherein at least a portion of thecommunity game is displayed via the community display.
 10. The gamingsystem of claim 9, wherein at least a first portion of theunlocking-game feature is displayed via the community display and atleast a second portion of the unlocking-game feature is displayed viathe display at the first gaming terminal.
 11. The gaming system of claim1, wherein each of the plurality of unlockable bonus games is associatedwith a selectable bonus game, the selectable bonus game becomingselectable in response to the corresponding unlockable bonus game beingunlocked.
 12. The gaming system of claim 1, wherein the triggering eventfor the unlocking-game feature includes at least one of a mysterytrigger and a symbol-based trigger.
 13. A method of conducting awagering game on a gaming system with at least first and second gamingterminals, the first and second gaming terminals being operable suchthat players at the gaming terminals can play a community game, thewagering game including a game sequence in which a wagering game outcomeis randomly determined from a plurality of wagering game outcomes, themethod comprising: in response to a triggering event, initiating via atleast one controller an unlocking-game feature, successful completion ofthe unlocking-game feature unlocking at least one of a plurality ofunlockable bonus games associated with the community game, the pluralityof unlockable bonus games being initially inaccessible to players at thefirst and second gaming terminals; and in response to a first player atthe first gaming terminal successfully completing the unlocking-gamefeature, unlocking at least one of the unlockable bonus games such thatboth the first player at the first gaming terminal and a second playerat the second gaming terminal can access the at least one unlocked bonusgame.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising, in response to asecond triggering event, displaying a selection screen from which atleast one of the first and second players can select to play previouslyunlocked ones of the plurality of unlockable bonus games including theat least one unlocked bonus game.
 15. The method of claim 13, furthercomprising, in response to the first player not successfully completingthe unlocking-game feature, displaying an indication to both the firstand second players how to successfully complete the unlocking-gamefeature in a subsequent play of the unlocking-game feature.
 16. Themethod of claim 13, further comprising, in response to the triggeringevent, conducting a bonus game at the first gaming terminal, wherein thefirst player is awarded a first prize associated with a winning outcomein the wagering game, a second prize associated with a winning bonusoutcome in the bonus game, and a third prize associated with successfulcompletion of the unlocking-game feature.
 17. The method of claim 13,further comprising displaying at least a first portion of theunlocking-game feature via a community display, and displaying at leasta second portion of the unlocking-game feature via a display associatedwith the first gaming terminal.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein eachof the plurality of unlockable bonus games is associated with aselectable bonus game, the selectable bonus game becoming selectable inresponse to the corresponding unlockable bonus game being unlocked. 19.A computer program product comprising a non-transient computer readablemedium having an instruction set borne thereby, the instruction setbeing configured to cause, upon execution by one or more controllers,the acts of: determining if a triggering event occurred during play of awagering game on a gaming system including at least first and secondgaming terminals, the first and second gaming terminals being operablesuch that players at the gaming terminals can play a community game, thecommunity game including a plurality of unlockable bonus games, theplurality of unlockable bonus games being initially inaccessible toplayers at the first and second gaming terminals; execute anunlocking-game feature at the first gaming terminal in response to thetriggering event; and in response to a successful outcome in theunlocking-game feature, unlocking at least one of the unlockable bonusgames such that both a first player at the first gaming terminal and asecond player at the second gaming terminal can access the at least oneunlocked bonus game.
 20. A gaming system comprising: at least one inputdevice; at least one display device; at least one processor; and atleast one memory device storing a plurality of instructions which, whenexecuted by the at least one processor, cause the at least one processorto operate with the at least one display device and the least one inputdevice to: conduct a wagering game including a base game and a communitygame with a plurality of unlockable bonus games, the plurality ofunlockable bonus games being initially inaccessible to first and secondplayers at respective first and second gaming terminals; and in responseto an unlocking event achieved by the first player during play of thecommunity game, unlock at least one of the unlockable bonus games suchthat the first and second players can access the unlocked bonus game.21. The gaming system of claim 20, wherein the base game is offered viaeach of the first and second gaming terminals, the community game beingtriggered during play of the base game.
 22. The gaming system of claim21, wherein the community game is common to the first and second gamingterminals.
 23. The gaming system of claim 22, wherein the at least onedisplay device includes a community display for displaying at least aportion of the common community game.
 24. The gaming system of claim 20,wherein the unlocking event includes the first player successfullycompleting a game feature.
 25. A computer-implemented method ofconducting a wagering game, the method comprising: receiving, via atleast one input device, a wager to play a wagering game, the wageringgame including a base game and a community game with a plurality ofunlockable bonus games, the plurality of unlockable bonus games beinginitially inaccessible to first and second players at respective firstand second gaming terminals; displaying the wagering game on at leastone display device; conducting, by at least one processor, the wageringgame; and in response to an unlocking event achieved by the first playerduring play of the community game, unlocking at least one of theunlockable bonus games such that the first and second players can accessthe unlocked bonus game.